Money and Military, Defence and Diplomacy is what this blog talks about. Since both are embedded in international political economy, this blog displays my concerns on politics and economy too

Friday, March 14, 2014

Modi's Dubious Connections Exposed by Forbes

When
Arvind Kejriwal says that Modis Gujarat model reeks of crony
capitalism, the India media doesn’t listen. When he says, there is
something fishy in Modi-Adani friendship, it turns a blind eye and
launches a frontal attack on Arvinds intentions - raising frivolous
issues like Kejriwal's flat size and room numbers. Forbes, a
billionaire's mouthpiece, has come out with a scathing story (“Doing Big
Business In Modi's Gujarat”)
on the dubious bonds between Modi and Adani. Hope the India media will
wake up and take notice. One wishes and prays that at least, a few India
journalists will turn ‘conscientious objectors’ and tell their
proprietors that they will not partake in the subversion of Indian
democracy by remaining quiet on Modis misdemeanors. Modi's complete
biases are visible in the price at which he has gifted people's property
to his businessman buddy. According to Forbes, Between 2005 and 2007,
Modi ensured, "at least 1,200 hectares of grazing land was taken away
from villagers" and handed over to his close friend Adani for as low as
"one U.S. cent a square meter (the rate maxed out at 45 cents a Getting
the land at rock bottom price is just the beginning of the loot of state
resources. A part of the same land is then rented out by Adani to other
companies including the Indian Oil Co., for as much as $11 a square
meter.

The India media that maintains a 24x7 vigil on all
Bollywood weddings and funerals seems to have switched off its cameras
when the marriage of Adanis son was celebrated last year at Goa. It
should have been natural for the media to gravitate to Goa. But Alas!
The media failed

to gate-crash and catapult their TRPs by showing
Modi attending all “ceremonies over a couple of days, genial and relaxed
like a favourite uncle.” Adani is no simple contractor businessman. He
is ranked “609 in the world with an estimated worth of $2.8
billion’. His commercial mining interests stretch right up to Australia.
As a businessman Adani is entitled to spread his wings far and wide
across the globe. But his close connections with Modi raise serious
issues. It brings into discussion Modis direct and indirect ties to
global finance capital and the big international money - a matter that
has direct bearing on India’s foreign policy.

Some sections of
the Indian media are just not able to gauge the maturity displayed by a
rookie politician, who has made it his life's mission to highlight
India's real aliment. India’s strength lies in the fact that we still
have lots of scribes uphold the flag of journalistic ethics and
professionalism.